'ALLOTMENT HEAVEN' An Allotment blog - a journey in allotmenteering which began in February 2008.

Monday, 25 May 2009

Where did the week go ?

I can't believe that it's a week since I last posted. I have been very busy tending the garden this week, which got neglected a bit last year. Luckily I have mostly perennials which appear each year as if by magic after a dormant bare winter, and suddenly the garden looks lush and full with hardly any effort. However this year I have made a few changes to some of the beds, , so I needed to spend more time this week doing just that and fitting the lottie in whenever I could. I went to the lottie after 4pm today and didn't get back until 7.45. I dug the bed for the sweetcorn, and it was so hot! I managed to get them all planted, but I still have to plant the broccoli ( green & purple sprouting), brussel sprouts, pumpkins and squashes, so lots to do yet.The runner beans and french beans are growing well and have started climbing up the poles. The cucumber is growing like crazy in the greenhouse and the Aubergines are now ready to be put into very large pots for the greenhouse ones and to be planted out for the ones going in the bed where the wallflowers were outside the greenhouse. It was sad to pull up the wallflowers today, but they had all really gone past their best and had to go to make way for the aubergines and outside tomatoes. Below are some views of the plot taken yesterday and today.

The Herb and flower bed. More sweet-peas behind.

The Sunflower hedge, with the 3 varieties of Courgettes in front.

The first sweet-peas, 'Cupani ' lots of others are just coming out too.

JO, thanks for the comment. My bed only got dug yesterday, just before I planted out the corn,and it was exhausting as it was so hot. .............................ALLOT OF VEG, thanks, you are kind. Honestly I haven't photo-shopped anything. I had only just dug that corn bed so that's why no weeds, and I did spend a short while hoeing around the plot in general. BUT I'll let you into a secret (sshhh) under the rhubarb there is a ton of bindweed I have to tackle, but luckily it can't be seen. Don't you just love big leaved plants ??

Hi Maureen. Your garden is looking good, as usual. So neat and orderly. I see your corn (I'll post a picture of mine on Friday to compare. We have had 1/4 inch of rain in 9 week. Yikes.)

I can only do broccoli in the winter (planting in September!). Same with Brussels Sprouts (I think). But I am doing some pumpkin (winter squash) and summer squash now, like you.

My cucumber are up, but slow. I planted Aubergine, or eggplant as we call it - for the first time. Mine is some kind of wild thing from Thailand. I will harvest my first tomato this week (from seed planted in October).

I'm too late for my sunflower hedge (I always miss this one). But I have 5 kinds of watermelon (orange, white and red) so that's exciting. Have you tried watermelon?

Hi PROSPERO, thanks for the comment, and I don't mind it being a long one as it's always very newsy. You sound as though you have been busy planting too. I've never tried growing melon, I'm not sure if we have the weather for it. I suppose in a warm greenhouse it's possible as I have seen them growing in gardening books. Do they get nice flowers before the fruit ? I look forward to seeing a photo of your corn, they must be big now.

BANGCHICK I feel for you that you haven't had any luck with your sunflowers, so on my weekly photo (down the right hand side of my blog) I have posted a Sunflower photo for you to enjoy.In the photo of my sunflower hedge, there isn't 3 varieties of sunflowers ( it's 3 varieties of courgettes) I have grown Sunflower 'Velvet Queen' as they were over from last year. in front of them I planted Calendula 'Art shades' and behind the sunflowers are Emilia 'Irish Poet' so it should be a delightful mix of all shades of yellows bright orange (the Irish poet) and softer orange. I will post a photo when all are in flower.

Isn't your rhubarb fantastic? Who caares about the bindweed... And lovely sweet peas. I was lucky to work on my allotment on Friday, so was able to lounge around in the garden over the hot weekend, take full advantage of the sunshine for lolling about:-)

Your sweetpeas look great--and I'm sure they are giving you lovely fragrance! You are fortunate that you can grow such healthy veggies, including corn, in your plot--those are things that would not do well in my yard. I pretty much stick to perennial flowers, but I do like to see what's happening with your veggie garden from time to time!

How is the baby? Growing, I hope;-) Have you shared any news or photos, recently? I am sure you have fallen in love;-)

Sorry I don't visit often; too darn busy keeping up my own blog--and other time constraints. But I hope you are well, Mo!! Jan

Welcome to my Blog

I started this blog in November 2008. I didn't know where it would go or even if I would keep at it. But here I am now into April 2014 and still blogging and enjoying it. I still remember the excitement when I got my first comment, and now I even have followers, amazing !! I also follow and read a lot of brillient blogs and have made some lovely friends in the blogging world.

It's also very useful keeping a diary about my allotment and it serves as a personal record of my achievements and of my failures. In fact when I re-read some of my older entries it makes me wonder how I managed back then to find the time to get the allotment plot up to the planting and growing stage, but I did and I grew a great variety of vegetables and fruit in my first year, and it's just got better.

If you are dropping by please feel free to leave a comment or a link to your blog, or just say hello or even e-mail me.

You may like to visit my other blog as well which is about my crafts and recipies. click on the link below.

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Heart of Stones

A favourite poem

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,Enwrought with the golden and silver lightThe blue and the dim and the dark clothsOf night and light and the half-light,I would spread the cloths under your feetBut I, being poor, have only my dreams;I have spread my dreams beneath your feet;Tread softly because you tread on my dreams...